Steamed Firm Beancurd with Egg And Preserved Turnip

A few weeks back I have done a similar beancurd dish using Firm Tofu with Leek (read more HERE) and now here is another version that I have adapted and modify from one of the "3 Plus 1 Sr 3( 三 菜一汤)" cooking show. For my recipe I used preserve turnip (菜脯) instead of the dried shrimps because I prefer the fragrant and taste of preserve turnip with the bland tofu.



Estimate Cost On Ingredients: S$2.00

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1 Piece of Firm Tofu(豆干)
1 Medium Size Egg
1/4 Cup (50ml) of Water/Stock
1/4 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
Dash of Salt and Pepper

For Garnish:
3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon of Preserved Turnips(菜脯)
1 Small Red Chili, thinly sliced
Spring Onion and Coriander

Method:-

1. Lightly fry the firm beancurd with 1/2 Tablespoon of oil then golden-brown on both side. Remove and drain well, cut into 9 equal parts and place it in a steaming bowl/dish.

2. Saute garlic and preserved turnip till fragrant and lightly brown with the remaining oil from frying the beancurd. Dish up and set aside.

3. Lightly whisk the egg in a bowl(do not over beat it), add in water, sesame oil, salt and pepper and mix till combined.

4. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve to get rid of lumpy egg cluster before pouring it the strained mixture into the prepared tofu dish.

5. When the water boils, steam the tofu and egg over medium low heat for about 10 minutes.

6. Top with the prepared garlic mixture and continue to steam for another 3 – 5 minutes till egg custard is firm and toothpick inside and comes out clean.

7. Garnish with spring onion, coriander and chili then serve with steamed rice.

Note:-

~ Omit seasonings such as sesame oil, salt and pepper if using stock instead of water for the egg custard.

~ Rinse Preserved Turnips in water, squeeze dry before use.

If you cannot get hold of any traditional Asian "Firm Tofu(豆干)" in your area, you can replace it with with either one of those pan-fry / deep-fried tofu. I am sure this dish will lift up your appetite with more than 1 serving bowl of rice due to it's combination some fragrant spicy and salty toppings.

[Blog Event] 2 Dishes plus 1 Soup

Recently we have come out a blog event on $20.00 Budget Meal with aim to encourage those who loves to prepare simple homecooked meal to share with us their meal planning and budget tips. We hope to take this opportunity to learn from each other on how to plan and prepare some quick and easy nutritious dishes even with minimum sum of budget given.

So far I have a few responds and enquires from readers but I do hope to see more supporter(s) for this event if you/your helper do prepared a budget meal smilar to this post. For example below shows the 2  Dishes plus 1 Soup menu which I spent a total of S$19.20 to prepare and serves 4.



STIR-FRY BITTER GOURD WITH EGG

Ingredients: (serves 4)

1 Small Bitter Gourd(苦瓜), about 150g
1/2 Tablespoon Dried Shrimps, soaked till soften
2 Eggs
3-4 Garlic Cloves, minced
50ml Hot Water

Seasonings
1 Teaspoon Chicken Stock Powder
Dash of Light Soy Sauce

Methods:-

1. Remove seeds from the bitter gourd and slice it thinly before rubbing it with with 1 teaspoon of salt. Rinse well with water and set side to drain.

2. Preheat a frying pan with 1 tablespoon of oil, saute dried shrimp(pound lightly before use) until fragrant, add in garlic and continue to fry for another 10 seconds before adding in the drained bitter gourd.

3. Fry for a another 10 seconds, add in powder chicken stock, water and let it simmer for 2 minutes.

4. Lastly crack in eggs, give it a quick stir and simmer till the mixture became thicken.

5. Add in dash of light soy sauce, stir, dish up and serve.


Bitter Gourd (苦瓜) being rich in all the essential vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin A, B1, B2, C and Iron. It can also be use to treat complications such as hypertension, eye complications if consume regularly. For this quick and nutritious dish it cost around S$2.10 with breakdown shown below:-

Cost of Ingredients:
~ Bitter Gourd = S$1.00
~ Egg = S$0.40
~ Dried Shrimp and Garlic  = S$0.70




STEAM KURAU FISH WITH SALTED VEGETABLES

Ingredients: (serves 4)

400g of Kurau Fish(马友鱼), tail portion
150g of Preserved Salted Vegetable, cut into slices
2 Fresh Shittake Mushroom, thinly slice
1 - 2 Stalks of Spring Onion, cut into sections
3 Slices of Ginger, cut into thin strips
1 Chili, seed removed and cut into slices

Seasonings:
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
1 Teaspoon Cooking Wine

Method:-

1. Clean and remove any scales from the fish, rinse and pat dry using kitchen paper towel. Set aside.

2. Rinse salted vegetables under tap water, drain well and cut into slices. Put 1/3 portion of it on steaming plate together with some ginger and spring onion before placing the fish on top.

3. Top fish with the rest of the ingredients and drizzle with seasonings.

4. When the pot of water comes to boil, steamed fish over medium high heat for about 12 - 15 minute till the fish is cooked through.(you can test using a fork to flake the fish meat after 12 minutes to check)

5. To serve, drizzle some extra sesame oil and dash of pepper on it and spoon some sauce at the bottom of the fish to moist the fillet and enhance the taste.


  Out of the 3 dishes, this steamed fish is consider to be the most expensive as the Kurau Fish cost around S$3.00per 100g. Total cost for this dish is about S$14.40 with breakdown shown below:-

Cost of Ingredients:
~ Kurau Fish Tail = S$12.90
~ Salted Vegetable = S$0.60
~ Mushroom = S$0.40
~ Chili and Spring onion = S$0.50



BLACK MOSS TOFU SOUP

Ingredients: (serves 4)

1 Box of Silken Tofu, cut into small cubes
50g Minced Pork
1 Tablespoon of Black Moss, soaked in water till soft
1 Shallot, finely chopped
2 Slices of Ginger, optional
1.2 Litres Hot Water
1/2 Chicken Stock Cube
1 Tablespoon Cornflour Solution
Some chopped Spring Onion

Method:-

1. Rinse the beancurd and cut into small cubes. Rinse the soften black moss and cut into shorter lengths.

2. Marinate mince pork with 1.5 teaspoon light soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, 1.5 teaspoon cornflour and dash of pepper. Stir well and set aside.

3. Heat up 1/2 tablespoon of oil in soup pot, add in chopped shallot, ginger and saute it till fragrant.

4. Add in minced pork, press and stir with a spatula to break the pork into bits.

5. Pour in water and let it simmer for about 5 minutes before adding the stock cube, beancurd and black moss.

6. When the mixture comes to boil again, stir in some cornflour solution(mix 1 tablespoon cornflour with 1/2 tablespoon water) to thicken the soup.

7. To serve, top with ground pepper and chopping spring onion or coriander.


This quick and easy soup is done in less than 15 minutes of cooking time which you can prepared while steaming the fish so that you do not need to reheat it before serving. Total cost for this dish is about S$2.70 with breakdown shown below:-

Cost of Ingredients:
~ Silken Tofu = S$0.90
~ Minced Meat = S$1.00
~ Black Moss = S$0.50
~ Shallot and Spring onion = S$0.30



For more read up or ideas on how to submit your homecooked dish for this event, you can also refer to these 2 submission below:- or follow the link HERE. Hope to see your entry soon, closing date EXTEND to next Sunday, 27 March 2011, 2359 Hours.


SINGAPORE: with total costs of S$19.50


2 Dishes, 1 Soup (两菜一汤 ) by WaiFong of Fong's Kitchen Journal

BANGKOK: with total cost of THB 340 or S$14.30

2 Dishes plus 1 Soup by Amy of  Mothering Corner

Closing Date: Sunday, 27 March 2011, 2359 Hours.

[Durian or Avocado] Sago Gula Melaka

This month's Aspiring Bakers theme is based on anything "Fruity" which I have read quite a number of wonderful entries from fellow bloggers on their fruity cakes and desserts. But as for myself I have being cracking my head for the past 2 weeks on what to do for this month event until I finally have something in mind.

Since this month theme is anything that is fruity, I decided to get some fresh fruits from the market where there are a lot longan, mango, passion fruit, oranges, strawberries and etc which are in seasons. And for my 1st submission I will be using two of my favourite fruits which are Durian and Avocado.

Ingredients: (serves 4)

1.5 Litres of Water
3/4 Cup of Small Sago Pearls
A few Pandan Leaves, knotted
* Some Durian Pulp or 2 Ripe Avocado

Method:-

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to boil. Lower the heat to medium and add in sago pearls and stir on and off to prevent it from sticking together.

2. Cook the sago pearls for about 8 minutes turn off heat, cover pot with lid and set aside for 10 minutes.

3. The sago wil become translucent when cooked.

4. Pour sago into a strainer and rinse under running water until pearls are loose and separated. Drain well.

5. Spoon sago into small moulds. Chill in fridge until sago sets.

6. To serve, turn sago out into individual serving bowl(s), place either durian pulp/avocado cubes on top of sago then spoon some coconut cream and gula melaka syrup over the sago.


This Nyonya dessert is best to be eaten with good quality of gula malaka and fresh coconut milk toppings which makes you crave for more. Here are some quick and simple steps to make the "Gula Melaka Syrup" and "Coconut Cream".

GULA MELAKA SYRUP

Ingredients:

150g Palm Sugar (Gula Melaka)
1/2 Cup (100ml) Water
A few Pandan Leaves, knotted

Method:-

1. In a small pot, combine gula Melaka with water and pandan leaves.

2. Simmer until sugar dissolved, mixture thickens and becomes syrupy.

3. Sieved away any residues, cool and pour it into sterilised glass jar and you can kept it in the fridge till further usage.

COCONUT CREAM

Ingredients:

1 Cup (200ml) Coconut Milk/Cream
A few Pandan Leaves, knotted
Pinch of Salt

Method:-

1. Put Coconut milk/cream together with pandan leaves in a microwave safe bowl.

2. Cook it on 70% (Medium High) for about 90 seconds, pause 30 seconds in between and quick it a quick stir till soft boil. (You may need another extra 30 seconds depending on your microwave power voltage.)


In Asia, most of us like this dessert to be served either in it's original way of sago with coconut milk and gula melaka or sometime even with luxury toppings such as D24 Durian pulp. And look at this Durian version I am sure for those who loves Durian you won't be able to resists having a cup or two especially with some good quality of gula melaka syrup that adds bonus point to it.


But as for those who dislike Durian or cannot afford to find any Durian in countries that you stay perhaps you would like to try this Avocado version by replacing the Durian Pulp with Avocado Cubes. I personally find Avocado goes well with gula melaka which I often blend 1 Avocado with 1 cup of fresh milk till smooth before stirring in 1 – 1.5 tablespoons of Gula Melaka syrup to sweeten the taste.

I am submitting this to Aspiring Bakers #5 : Fruity March (March 2011) hosted by Jess @ Bakericious.

Asian-style Baked Sutchi Fillet

Sutchi Fillet is a white and greasy fillet of “Catfish” with a fancy name. This fillet is usually found in the frozen department in most local supermarkets which is cheap and great for cooking processes such as steaming, breaded, pan-fried or baked. Even though it might have slight frozen smell or fishy taste but the texture of was rather smooth and fine which is easy to consume by kids.

For this dish, I marinated the fillet with sesame oil, ginger and garlic at least an hour or more before cooking time in order to mask up the frozen taste of the fillet.

Ingredients: (serves 2)

1 Pieces of Sutchi Fillet, thawed
4 Slices of Ginger
4 Cloves of Garlic
1/4 Teaspoon Sesame oil

Seasonings:
1/2 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Fermented Black Beans(豆豉)
1 Teaspoon Cooking Wine
1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
4 - 5 Slices of Ginger, julienned
2 Shallot, peeled and cut into thin slices
1 Small Chili, thinly sliced diagonally
1/2 Stalk Spring Onion, thinly sliced diagonally

For this dish, I spent around S$5.00 with sutchi fillet cost around S$2.00 for 1 piece, $3.00 for baby bok choy, ginger, chili, shallot and etc.

Method:

1. Grease 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil on baking tray or disposal foil tray. Top with fish fillet.

2. Combine oyster sauce, cooking wine and sesame oil in a small bowl.

3. Spoon the seasoning sauce over fish fillet, top with ginger, chili, spring onion(half portion) and fermented black bean. Cover the tray with foil.

OR

~ Saute the ginger and shallot over medium heat till sligh golden brown, toss in fermented black bean, chili and spring onion and continue to fry for another 10 seconds before adding in the sauce mixture (oyster sauce, cooking wine, sesame oil).

~ Spoon mixture evenly onto the prepared fillet, cover the tray with foil.

4. Bake for 15 minutes in oven toaster, remove the foil cover and continue to bake for another 5 minutes uncovered till fish is cooked through.

5. Sprinkle with reserved spring onion and serve together with prepared baby bok choy.